Breakdown of Bu akşam komşulara lezzetli çorba gönderiyorum.
lezzetli
delicious
göndermek
to send
bu akşam
this evening
-lara
to (plural dative)
komşu
neighbor
çorba
soup
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Questions & Answers about Bu akşam komşulara lezzetli çorba gönderiyorum.
Why does gönderiyorum end with -yorum? Is it present tense or “I’m doing it right now”?
-yor is the Turkish present continuous / progressive marker. So gönderiyorum literally means I am sending.
- In real life it can also cover planned near-future actions, especially with a time phrase like Bu akşam (this evening/tonight). So it can mean I’m sending tonight even if you haven’t started yet.
- If you want a more “general/habitual” meaning (I send (in general)), Turkish often uses the aorist: gönderirim.
What exactly is komşulara grammatically, and why is the ending -a there?
komşulara = komşu + lar + a
- komşu = neighbor
- -lar = plural (neighbors)
- -a = dative case = to/toward
So komşulara means to the neighbors. Turkish marks “to whom?” with the dative rather than using a separate word like to.
Could it also be singular—like “to the neighbor”? How would that change?
Yes. Singular would be:
- komşuya = komşu + ya (dative) The extra y is a buffer consonant to avoid two vowels colliding (komşu + a → komşuya).
Why is there no word for I (ben) in the sentence?
Turkish usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the subject:
- gönderiyorum ends with -um, which marks 1st person singular (I). You can add ben for emphasis/contrast: Ben bu akşam komşulara lezzetli çorba gönderiyorum.
Is the word order fixed? Could I move things around?
The neutral order here is very natural: Time + (to whom) + object + verb. But Turkish word order is flexible; moving parts changes focus/emphasis more than basic meaning:
- Bu akşam komşulara lezzetli çorba gönderiyorum. (neutral)
- Komşulara bu akşam lezzetli çorba gönderiyorum. (focus a bit more on to the neighbors)
- Lezzetli çorba gönderiyorum bu akşam. (more conversational/poetic; still correct)
Why is lezzetli before çorba? Can it go after?
In Turkish, adjectives normally come before the noun they describe:
- lezzetli çorba = delicious soup If you put it after, it usually becomes a predicate (a statement):
- Çorba lezzetli. = The soup is delicious.
Do we need bir here? What’s the difference between with and without it?
You can say:
- lezzetli çorba = delicious soup (often sounds like “some soup / soup in general” depending on context)
- bir lezzetli çorba = a delicious soup (more clearly one portion/one kind, a bit more specific) In many everyday sentences, Turkish can omit bir and still be perfectly natural.
Why doesn’t çorba take a direct-object ending like -ı/-i?
Turkish adds the accusative ending to the direct object mainly when it’s definite/specific.
- No accusative: çorba gönderiyorum = sending (some) soup / soup as an indefinite item
- With accusative: çorbayı gönderiyorum = sending the soup (a specific soup you both know about)
How is Bu akşam different from Bu akşama?
- Bu akşam = this evening/tonight (time expression; no case ending needed)
- Bu akşama (dative) = for/by this evening or toward this evening depending on context, e.g.
Bu akşama hazır olur. = It will be ready by this evening.
Are there other common verbs besides göndermek for this situation? What nuance changes?
Yes, and the choice changes the picture:
- gönderiyorum = I’m sending (someone delivers / you arrange delivery)
- götürüyorum = I’m taking it (there) myself
- yolluyorum = very common, similar to gönderiyorum, often slightly more casual So if you personally carry the soup over, Bu akşam komşulara lezzetli çorba götürüyorum is often the most direct.